Broken

a candle and spoon-
unresponsive hazel eyes
far beyond my help

first snow-
yesterday’s news
line his shoes

Fire

whispers of thunder
dry lightning in distant hills
the rain long absent

autumn hills-
ashes rain
on the valley

Listen

earbuds on silent-
subtly eavesdropping on
your conversation

sudden chills-
mantras I whisper
to myself

Cut

mirror finished steel-
chrome and crimson upwell as
I lick the razor

melting ice-
warm and salty
on my tongue

Fire

downcast hazel eyes-
blistered feet dangle from the
hospital gurney

bitter winds-
the horizon
set aglow

Vet

worn jungle jacket-
three tours couldn’t prepare him
for life on the street

cold sweat-
desert sands
abrade his dreams

Funeral

hands neatly folded
pinstripe suit and crisp linens
so properly posed

early sunday morning-
freshly turned earth
and rough sawn pine

Flooding

threatening storm clouds-
filling sandbags to ward off
the impending flood

a neglected barn-
keeping vigil over
rising waters

Chemo

a black bitter pill
taken with a glass of bile-
so hard to swallow

november morn-
the push is over
now I taste salt.

Glint

jewels in the darkness-
a scattering of diamonds
in the shattered glass

winter‘s eve-
moonlight dances
on the fallen snow